Why Did Keith Urban Bring a Catfish to the Predators Game?

If you’re a Keith Urban fan, you might be wondering: what’s up with that video of him at a Nashville Predators game holding a catfish? No, it’s not a weird Australian thing — it’s a weird hockey thing. A tradition, in fact, with origins back to the '50s.

According to the Tennessean, the catfish tradition was actually was born out of a tradition from another NHL team, the Redwings. Back in the 1950s, a fan threw an octopus on the ice during a Stanley Cup playoff game to symbolize the eight games they needed to win in order to take home the trophy. Though the first catfish-throwing date is disputed, Nashville’s tradition can be traced back to 2003, when a fan took it upon themselves to put a Southern spin on the octopus and try a catfish instead.

Though the officials frown upon the idea (it IS a humongous dead fish, after all), it continues as an act of team spirit, and Urban wanted in on the action. Fans went wild in the arena when he was shown on the jumbotron with the fish, which you can see in the video above.

Urban and several other country stars, including Lady Antebellum and of course, Carrie Underwood, have been all-in on the Predators’ playoff journey, taking turns singing the National Anthem at home games and cheering along with the rest of Music City.

When he’s not watching hockey, Urban has been celebrating the recently-earned platinum status of his album, Ripcord, and playing shows around the country.